Returning Home
by peril
Summary: Adorable little ficlet based when the hobbits are returning home, Pippin only wants what the others already have. NO SLASH.
1. Chapter 1

I wrote this when I was fourteen, and I've just decided to post it on this site. I've fixed it up a little bit but it's the same story.I **really **appreciate reviews!

I don't know why this is necessary, but obviously LOTR is not mine. None of the characters are.

Please review :-)

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Merry sat upon his horse calmly, watching the long fields and small towns drift by. Pippin occasionally brushed his hair out of his face, but all was silent. Sam and Frodo were still a ways ahead of them, probably talking together as usual, but Merry noticed Pippin's uncharacteristic silence.

"What's wrong with you, Pip?" He asked quietly, his tone more like an accusation.  
"Nothing. Just tired." He replied. To accentuate this he stretched out his arms and supplied a fake yawn.

"I'm serious, Pippin. You've not said one word since we passed Rivendell. This whole way home and so little yet to go, I'd thought you'd be ecstatic."

"Just thinking..." He mumbled.

"There's a shocker." He said without thinking. But when he didn't get as much as a small smile for a reply, he became more interested.

"'Bout what?"

"You said... I mean... you're right, and all." After Merry's silence, Pippin continued. "I know you have Estella and Sam has Rosie, of course. But I don't know, Merry... will I ever love someone?"

Merry laughed inwardly at his cousin's dramatic phrase. He almost felt embarrassed for him. "Well, Pip... do you actually like anybody of the female sort?"  
"I might." He replied as he petted the ear of his horse, possibly to ease the awkwardness of the conversation.

"Well I could say I know somebody who would like you too, young Peregrine Took."

"I'm not in the mood for jokes, Merry..." Pippin replied, but with a spite of hope in the words.

"You know who I am speaking of." Merry said. "Though granted half the hobbit lasses of the Shire would jump a million fires to dance with you." Pippin's cheeks flooded with red. His eyes sparked a bit more vibrantly green at the thought of any lass watching him from a party table.

'No, Pip.' He thought to himself. 'Wouldn't be more chance of a girl liking you than there is Sam turning down Rosie at the alter.'

"I heard of a girl taking a liking to you. Diamond, you know that one."

At the sound of this, Pippin almost jumped. 'Diamond? She always hated me... Then again, any girl who had experienced both a frog in her apron and coal shaving's on the chair to stain her dress both in the same day would take a wrong thought or two...'

"She's a pretty one, too, Pip..."

'He's just saying that to cheer you up. No. She couldn't. Could she? No- don't be stupid. Could she?'


	2. Chapter 2

Pippin and Diamond shared quite a past. He remembered the little jokes he used to pull on her, the ways she would scream at him. But Pippin always had had many girls to pick on, particularly his own sisters, or Diamond's older sisters.

The funny thing was, his jokes were never as mean on her, and she might have been the only girl that he ever took pity on, or helped her get clean after a dirty prank.

She was the only girl who he had found crying that one quiet night by the creek.. Her hair falling against her shoulders. She was the only girl Pippin ever thought both beautiful, smart, and a friend. Pippin chided himself for such thoughts.

'Maybe she was all those things... maybe she was, she most definitely was... but she would never think of me in the same way.'

Pippin never liked his own looks.

He thought himself too skinny or too fat, his hair was always too long or too short, he was maybe now too tall for any hobbit lass to like him. But then he shook these things out of his mind. 'What if...'

It was about seven years ago, after a relative's birthday party. It didn't matter whose, but as usual, Pippin was drunk and barely able to carry himself anymore. Merry and Diamond thought best to take him to the creek and settle him down. "Get him away from the crowds", Diamond said. So like usual, the two carried him down the ways.

He was never much of a burden, always light and not as drunk as to not be able to support himself a bit.

All he remembered was waking up again, about the crack of dawn by a bubbling creek. The most unusual thing was that he never got that expected hangover, he just opened his eyes to the purple sky and the silence of the birds and all seemed fine.

He sat up, half expecting to just fall right over again, but no- he stayed. The trees leaves whistled in the young day's cold wind and the old rotten trees were beckoning the owls once again to peaceful slumber.

He felt so calm and rested... maybe a little warm.

'Must be still drunk', He thought. 'If I was not still drunk, the sky would not be purple.'

Pippin strained his memory to try to recall the night before. He could think of nothing. His eyes wandered to the placid creek in front of him. Just an arms length away, so cool...

He became mesmerized with the bubbling rhythm. He giggled at the imaginary fishies. He leaned toward it-- maybe just a little further and he could feel its mist...

maybe further. Slowly the creek became larger and larger in his sight. 'Just a bit closer and I'll stop'. Suddenly the air rushed past his face and he splashed into the water. The surprising jolt quickly awakened him and in a hasty attempt to remove himself, he ended up completely in the water. The creek never looked so deep from above. Or so cold. He found himself grabbing onto a nearby large rock and pulling himself to it, his head now finally out of the water.

He gasped for air and coughed up water that became trapped in his lungs. The water rushing around the rock seemed to quicken in its pace and his hands slipped from the grasp. As he felt himself getting sucked under again he attempted on final breath of air, but in this attempt he was again sucked under and his lungs were filled with water.

It wasn't until then that he remembered. Drowning was like falling asleep.

He then felt a hand on his own, pulling him out of the creek. 'Death has finally gotten me. Damnit. Stupid water."

He opened his eyes to see the grass again and a tree within arms reach. He stretched for it but was pulled violently in the other direction. He coughed and gasped, spitting up a mixture of creek water and his own blood. 

"Pippin, you imbecile!" Diamond yelled. Pippin had no time to reply, he had to find the fishies and save them from the creek, too.

"You scared me half to death!"

Pippin realized who was holding on to him managed to reach his hand to his mouth and wipe away whatever blood and water was still there. 

Diamond hugged him closer. Warm arms. Dry arms. No longer dry arms. He tried to stop coughing, but this only drew up more pain and more blood.

"Can't leave you alone for just a minute." She said. It almost sounded like she was crying. Pippin's coughing eased and he was left to just shivering and the occasional sneeze. Her hug lasted very long, and so did the warmth. He forgot all about the stupid fishies and the purple sky.

'That's when I knew I really liked her.' He thought to himself as he slowed his horse to a stop. 'But I don't think she would ever like me back.'

"Pippin" Merry said to him quietly. "We're there"


	3. Chapter 3

Pippin tried to focus his eyes on what was in front of him. It looked like home... But not quite. A few hobbits that were lingering in town had gathered around. Pippin acted like he couldn't see them staring at him. For now, nobody seemed to recognize him. For now, that seemed like the best thing.

A small, energetic boy tugged at his mother's dress.

''Mommy... is that a real horse? A real actual horse, Mommy? Mommy... have you ever seen one before?" He turned from his mother to look at Pippin. "Hey, Mister, we don't have horses here... can I touch it?"

Pippin grinned. He kneeled down to the child's height to welcome the child over. The boy took the hint and tentatively walked up to the horse. His mother had a look of protest as Pippin looked for her consent, but she smiled as if to say 'okay'. He picked up the child to hold him almost to the horse's head.

"See?" He asked the young lad. "Just like a pony. Only bigger." Pippin said soothingly. The boy smiled in awe and gently stroked the horse's mane.

"Where did it come from? Does everything get tall where you are from? You are tall for a hobbit, Mister."

Pippin grinned again and he could feel the spark in his own eyes. He gently set the child down and the boy walked back to his mother.

"Mommy! It's just like a pony mommy, only bigger. Don't be scared mommy. It's a nice horse." The mother held her son's hand and when they turned away she looked back and mouthed to him,

"Thank you."

Pippin tried his best to force down a laugh, but a little burst came out anyway. But with a sudden rush of happiness he immediately thought of Diamond. His face felled and he pulled himself back, unloading his things from the horse. Most hobbits that had come to see the return of the two had already walked off to return to their own business.

He slid the last little pouch from the horse's burden and struggled to hold everything at once. An older man walked beside him and held the horse by the stirrups. Pippin tried as best he could to keep the huge load of bags and pouches in his grasp, or talented balance.

"Want me to put this in the stable with the others?" The old, tired man asked. He was sick of his job.

Pippin hesitated as he did not know which stables the horse was going to, but he saw that Merry had gone off already and the damned thing was one of the last of his worries.

"Please." Pippin said with a grunt and he fixed a bag to balance on his arm. The man snorted and looked up at the horse.

"And, thank you." Pippin thought it best to say that, too. The man looked in disgust at the beast and started jerking it along.

"You should hope it fits under the roof." He grunted as he pulled the horse beside him.

Pippin raised his head to see if there was anyone around that he recognized. No one. Not a Took or a Brandybuck or even a Baggins that he knew. He looked to the sky. 'Rain. Damn. It'll be hell getting these things to the Great Smials.'

He sighed as he saw the first drop on the ground. He started his journey wondering where Merry had to go in such a hurry. He didn't even see him leave. Oh well. Best without him anyway. He would talk too much. But could she like me?

Pippin walked in silence as the rain got gradually harder. The storm clouds cloaked the sky in darkness. He struggled to wipe annoying rain drops from his eyes, but the load would not allow.

'Always raining in the most inopportune moments' He eventually had to ease his right arm a little, but a small bag fell from his grip. It had occured to him that most of these things were Merry's anyway, and for reasons unfathomable to him he had ended up with all the burdens.

'Annoying Brandybuck', he thought. 'Probably off with Estella.' He made an effort to bend down and pick up the bag and gave up. He stood up again to consider his options when he saw something unthinkable. A figure moved closer to him, wet hair draping on shoulders and silent. He stood gaping in awe. He finally gathered his senses enough to speak.

"Diamond?"

As if it was planned, she leaned forward and touched his cheek.

"Pippin Took, you imbecile!" She was more frustrated than angry at his sudden appearance. "You go off and leave and nobody knows where you are! After all of those years that I took care of you, you do that to me!" Her voice started to crack as tears set in. She stood with her arms crossed until she brushed a soaked strand of hair from her face. Pippin found it very hard to find something to say. He started to set all the things he was carrying on the ground.

"You're insensitive and a fool. All these years of loving you and you don't even bother to say a thing about it. Are you completely ignorant or do you just not care?"

"Ignorant." He replied immediately. She fell silent and stared at him.

"Really?" It seemed like a sarcastic question.

"You really- you really loved me?" He stuttered, fearing embarrassment.

He gave up on the bags and tossed them to the side.

"Diamond, if I had known, trust me… I just thought that you'd never, I mean, I'm not doubting you, but I never thought…"

"Pippin…" She giggled. "I take it back!"

He froze. "You don't love me anymore?"

She laughed harder. "No! I mean yes, I still like you, I take back what I said about you being insensitive."

"Oh… that's good then, right?"

She leaned in and kissed him.

Okay guys, hope you like it. As I said, it was written when I was 14 and I'm 16 now, so forgive me if it seems a bit juvenile. Please review!


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